


Frost To - A Second Story?

by inverted_typo



Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: AU, Fantasy, M/M, frozen, frozentalia
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-03-20
Updated: 2015-03-25
Packaged: 2018-03-18 17:32:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,301
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3577983
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/inverted_typo/pseuds/inverted_typo
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's really ironic when you fall in love with the brother of the man who tried to kill you and your own brother.</p><p>Frozentalia AU as seen on tumblr</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I received a request on Skipping Stones to write a scene from my Frozentalia idea. Because I have so many detailed ideas already about it, I decided to go ahead and write a small multichapter fanfic about it.  
> It won't be any longer than four chapters I'd think, including a potential epilogue. 
> 
> I hope you all enjoy it! I have a lot of fun writing it, so I hope it just is as fun to read it as it was for me to write it :D  
> Please don't hesitate to leave comments ;w; it lets me know if people are enjoying it or not.
> 
> Also, I was not prepared for how long this first chapter actually was going to be. My bad if it drags on ;A;

The two brothers splayed out in the empty ballroom. The afternoon light peeked through the slits in the shutters of the tall windows. Tiny, glitter-like snowflakes drifted from the ceiling, dancing until they disappeared before hitting the ground below. The two laid quietly, not speaking a single word. They had been laying there for nearly forty-five minutes, simply soaking in each other’s presence.

Emil shifted his head, turning to face the sharp profile of his older brother. He studied him for a moment, admiring the bits of snow decorating his hair.

“I think you should make an ice boat.”

Lukas’s eyebrows furrowed as he continued to stare up at the high ceiling.

“Why would I do that? That’s a really stupid idea.”

“No it isn’t. If you’re shipping fish or something, the entire thing would be cold so it would stay fresher longer.”

“We have salt for that. Plus, the salt makes the fish taste better.”

“Oh.”

The Prince turned his head back, concentrating on the swirling motifs bordering the room. There was another moment of silence.

“Fine, what about an ice light house? The ice would make the light brighter, right?”

Lukas swiftly shot a glance at Emil.

“Do you want me to just give you a huge block of ice for you and your boyfriend to play with or something? Would that satisfy your sudden icy needs?”

The other scoffed, crossing his arms, “Says the one who built an entire castle out of ice.”

The King puffed out his cheek and allowed a small flurry of snow to explode in Emil’s face.

“Well _sorry_ for experiencing a crazy moment of self-discovery and immense self-confidence.”

The two smiled none the less.

It had been nearly three months since Lukas was crowned King of Arendelle, three months since he had finally uncovered the secret of controlling his powers…three months since he and Emil had reconstructed their now unbreakable bond.

Life had taken an incredible turn for the better since those heavy gates finally creaked open. Lukas now had a clear enough mind and spirit to begin to fill the large, royal shoes his father had left behind. Emil finally had the chance to break away from his lonely childhood, happily experiencing the world with his exotic, strangely ice-obsessed boyfriend Kaoru.

Everything was finally beginning to settle back down into its rightful place.

* * *

 

The docks had been bustling all day, even before the sun peeked over the horizon. Boats departed and docked, fishermen hauled their gear around as others loaded their catch onto wagons and into barrels. Merchants and shop keepers hollered out their products, waving them around as if to emphasize the quality of their goods. Every day seemed to be like this, no matter what the weather.

Arendelle’s liveliness should never be underestimated.

Although busy, noisy and crowded, the dock workers never failed to make space for arriving boats. That included quite a massive ship that slowly made its way into the fjord.

“Oi! Looks like we have something more than a fisherman’s boat comin’ up! Start movin’ them other boats further back into the fjord!”

A handful of people paused to watch the large ship glide its way into the docks. It was highly decorated, seeming to have been coated with a fresh new layer of paint. Parts of it were lined with what looked like gold, and a mermaid proudly jutted out from the hull. Some people murmured, recognizing the flag that bellowed against the sea wind from the top of the crow’s nest. The usual buzz of the docks seemed to become quieter as the creaking ship halted.

“I didn’t think I’d see that flag again…”

Men scurried on the deck as ropes were tossed overboard for the workers on the dock to anchor the boat down.

People watched as a large plank extended from the boat and slammed against the docks.

A young man, tall, fair and regal appeared atop the plank. His eyes were bright and blue as the sky, a natural-looking smirk comfortably pulled at his lips. His hair was wild and blonde, gently rustling against the breeze. He took a deep breath.

* * *

 

The heavy doors of the ballroom echoed as they croaked open. Lukas and Emil sat up to see one of the staff members poke their head into the mostly empty room.

“Your majesty…there’s a guest in the Grand Hall asking to see you and Prince Emil.”

Lukas frowned. He quickly stood up, the falling snow suddenly ceasing to exist. He brushed himself off, his expression suddenly morphing to become cool and completely collected. His posture straightened and his shoulders became stiff. He almost had the urge to check his hands for his gloves, but was relieved by the reminder that he truly had all control now.

Old habits seem to die hard.

“I haven’t received any notifications about any visitors… Is it urgent?”

The maid shook her head unknowingly, her shoulders rising in the same kind of confusion.

The King gazed over at his shoulder at his brother, who in return offered a quizzical look. Lukas rolled his eyes.

“Alright, let’s go greet them.”

Lukas and Emil were escorted into the Grand Hall, double checking their appearance to seem as formal as possible on such short notice. Heavy doors were opened, and the two Arendelle royals were welcomed by a couple of guards and a single figure awaiting at the head of the room.

Lukas studied the man intently, who began to bow as they edged closer.

As Lukas walked, his extended tail coat seemed to glide over the floor, as if hovering over air. His footsteps were barely heard, his boots seeming to kiss the floor before lifting to take another step. His crystalized vest hugged his lean figure comfortably, glistening with the subtle movements of his gentle stride.

Lukas eyed him up and down for nearly the third time. He was utterly surprised and even a bit offended when he realized his guest was absolutely sopping wet, so wet in fact the fool was creating a small puddle of sea water in _his_ Grand Hall!

“ _Min konge_ ,” the guest greeted, water dripping from his hair.

The guest in question wore a velvety red coat, his left breast decorated with medallions, ropes and pins. He was tall, fit and had a certain ruggedness to him; despite his regal outward appearance. He tucked his hands neatly behind his back as he straightened up from his formal, wet, deep bow.

The King felt a twinge of familiarity spark somewhere in the back of his memory when he met eyes with the utterly…displeasing…stranger. The guest had sharp features, a squared jaw, and a confident demeanor hovered over his head like a halo.

The guest didn’t actually seem too bothered by his ungodly appearance. Emil made a noise of disgust as the stench of seaweed reached his nose.

The King waited a strained moment before hesitantly speaking.

“ _Velkommen til Arendelle_ ,” Lukas replied slowly, cautiously, “May I ask who you are, why you’ve come to my humble kingdom…and why in God’s name are you standing in my Grand Hall soaked to the bone! You’re getting my floor all wet! Haven’t you any sense to change and present yourself like proper before you dare to even speak of greeting me?”

The guest inhaled sharply, his expression twisting a bit awkwardly. His cheeks bloomed bright red as he tried to fix his hair to seem even a _little_ bit more presentable.

“Ah! I’m sorry! I’m so sorry! I’m sorry for arriving in such disarray… I kind of fell off your docks when I boarded off the boat… I didn’t exactly have time to change,” he coughed into his hand, a knot of mumbles and murmurs trailing out of his mouth.

Lukas stared at him harshly with utter disbelief before exasperating a sigh, “Get this fool a towel.”

A multitude of towels were quickly delivered to the man, who gratefully took them and began to ruffle his hair. He spoke as he tried to dry his face and hands.

“Once again, my greatest apologies, your majesty…” he handed a towel back and bowed a second time.

“Now…I’m already an awful guest…but please hear me out as I introduce myself…it may not come as a welcome,” the man warned.

Lukas’s eyebrow raised suspiciously, if not a bit curiously as well.

“I am Prince Mathias of the Southern Isles, here to present the kingdom of Arendelle, and its King and Prince, lavish gifts and goods as a formal, sincere apology for the act of my younger brother,” the guest announced.

Lukas and Emil blinked before flipping a gaze at each other. They turned back to the Prince who kept his head a bit lower out of respect.

Emil shook his head in disbelief before swerving around and flinging his hands in the air, “Why is there another one in our house! Why! I can’t actually handle this.”

Lukas suddenly put his hands up and leaned in a bit, his eyes squinting incredulity. He marched forward with swift impatience.

“Wait, wait, wait. You’re saying the _asshole_ who broke my little brother’s heart, took advantage of my inability to control my powers and manipulate the situation so that _I was perceived as a monster_ so that everyone would favor him, left Emil to _die_ , tried to _murder me_ to gain _my_ throne is _your younger brother!_ ”

Lukas was now only inches away from Mathias’s face as a speeding flurry of sleet had begun to funnel around the two. His breathing was rugged and sharp icicles began to protrude from the walls. Mathias stood rigid, his wet clothes beginning to stiffen as they froze to his skin. He swallowed as his eyes bounced around the now blizzard-like room, only to return to the fiery lavender eyes that stared straight into him.

Emil and the rest of the staff simply accepted the consequence of Lukas’s now flared temper and merely was wary of any ice spikes that may make a sudden appearance next to their own person.

“Yes, that seems to be an accurate description of my brother,” Mathias piped up warily.

Lukas huffed, “And _you_ have the nerve to come all the way _back_ to where he wreaked havoc to give us gifts we may not even want!”

A large spike crashed through one of the windows. The maid simply stepped aside from the falling glass.

“ _Bror,_ you’re going to kill someone,” Emil informed flatly.

Mathias tried to lift his hands in defense, careful not to touch this icy yet fiery King nor any of his terrifying magic. He swallowed thickly once again, trying to find his words that seemed to have been swallowed up by the howling wind that really shouldn’t have ever been there in the first place.

“I brought some of the best imported chocolates from seven different countries?” he squeaked.

Lukas and Emil’s ears perked at that. Suddenly, the snow froze exactly where it was, Lukas’s raged expression cooling in an instant. He blinked a couple of times. The large spears of ice suddenly withdrew themselves, disintegrating into little ice crystals that fluttered away. The staff was already cleaning up the broken glass of the window.

“Oh.”

Mathias sighed in utter relief as his clothes began to thaw. Lukas silently withdrew, his wrist flicking a few motions here and there to rid the rest of the room of any ice that may be hiding in the corners.

He straightened himself a bit, clearing his throat. His cheeks were dusted a light pink.

“Well then. Um…let’s go to the docks to see what kind of…gifts…you have brought to Arendelle.”

Lukas swiftly turned around, his stride just as graceful as it had been when he walked into the room.

Mathias had to take a second, letting his nerves calm down before even thinking of following the King to the docks. His brother was seriously insane if he had even _thought_ it was a good idea to mess with such a powerful person…

* * *

 

Crates and barrels, bags and boxes were all hauled off of Mathias’s large ship. Everything from food to furniture was loaded off of that boat. Citizens received many of the goods, which warmed Lukas’s heart to see them so happy. Women and tailors were elated to pick from a variety of fine silk and satin, while children waited eagerly in line to get new toys. Sizable portions of food were distributed throughout the streets of Arendelle, and most of the people walked away with even a little something from that ship.

Lukas awed at the large quantity of things that were being given for free.

“Prince Mathias…this is incredible,” the King marveled.

“It’s the least I could do for the trouble my awful little brother had caused,” he sighed, rubbing his temples, “when he came home and the rest of us were informed of what he had tried to do, I felt obligated to try to make it up to you. I have spent the last three months collecting and buying and gathering all sorts of things that might even begin to compensate for what he did.”

Lukas watched as Mathias continued to massage the sides of his head. He didn’t reply immediately.

“I still can’t believe he’d do something so…ruthless…” blue eyes opened, glancing at Lukas, a surge of sympathy and regret flooding them to the brim, “I really am truly sorry from the bottom of my heart, King Lukas. If you could forgive the image of the Southern Isles…the rest of us aren’t like that, I can promise you. My eldest brother leads a good country.”

The King began to nod, looking back out to the sea. He took a deep, long breath. He let the memories of those few days and the image of that awful prince project itself in his head. He quietly soaked in his own thoughts and the words of his Southern Isle visitor.

“There’s nothing to ask forgiveness for. You nor your country did anything wrong. It was simply the deed of a greedy man.”

“There’s thirteen of us, it’s sad to say there was bound to be a bad egg.”

Another pause ensued. Mathias met eyes with Lukas once more.

“Tell me, Mathias…what happened to your brother after he left?”

“When he got back home?” Mathias scoffed, “Well…let’s just say he had quite the interrogation from us older brothers. Anyway, it was decided amongst us that he was no fit to sit on any throne. So we revoked his legal label as a royal member of the monarchy to prevent him from marrying into any other kind of monarchy away from home. Now he is seen no more than a regular citizen. We would have arrested him but he didn’t do anything wrong in our country, so we had to improvise.”

The King seemed more than satisfied with that answer, his eyebrows arched in amusement.

“Well thank you for taking care of the matter,” Lukas quipped.

The Prince kept his eye on the King this time, simply admiring him. He was sure he had never seen someone so naturally pale before. It gave Lukas a ghostly beauty Mathias couldn’t help but fawn over. The King was a bit shorter than him, and had a thin frame. His fingers were long and his eyes were mystically misted over. His hair was fine and looked as soft as a feather. A crossed hair pin made of glistening ice was nestled in the strands of his wavy hair.

Mathias studied his face next, realizing how long Lukas’s eye lashes actually were. Had his cheeks always been just slightly rosier than the rest of his complexion? His lips were a shade pinker than the rest of his skin, as well, thin and in a straight line.

The Prince flushed red as he briefly played with the thought of kissing those lips. Those beautiful lips were moving though now, and Mathias maybe thought Lukas was talking. But he couldn’t quite hear what he was saying.

He was snapped out of his daze when the King smacked his shoulder.

“Listen to me, oaf.”

“I’m sorry, what?”

“How long are you staying here?”

“I’m sorry?”

“Oh my god— How long. Are you. Staying. In. Arendelle?” Lukas emphasized each word tactfully, the syllables clicking off of his tongue.

The ladder suddenly realized what was being asked.

“Oh! Oh. Um…the plan was to depart as soon as all the gifts were received,” Mathias explained honestly, “So perhaps no more than a day?”

The shorter of the two waited a second before responding. He folded his hands in front of himself politely.

“…Well…it would be rude as a host to not invite you to stay for a bit… Especially since you have offered my people such astounding gifts… And Emil and I really appreciate the chocolate. … Why don’t you stay a few days? We can show you around Arendelle…”

Lukas’s volume had decreased as he spoke on, lifting his hand to tuck some stray hair back behind his ear. He avoided eye contact with this new Prince.

Mathias’s face nearly split in half as a grin stretched across it. He laughed boisterously and nodded eagerly.

“Are you kidding? You’ve got to be kidding me! I’d love that! Thank you so much! I can’t believe I just got invited _to stay a few nights_ in Arendelle! What a treat!”

Lukas tsked.

“Shut up, idiot. You talk too much.”

Mathias laughed again.

“Well maybe this will hush me up for a minute.”

The Prince pulled out a small bag of chocolate from his coat pocket. He dug inside and plucked out a tiny square truffle and popped it into his mouth. He dug into the bag again and handed a piece to Lukas.

Lukas barely smiled as he accepted it and quietly ate the chocolate, humming as it melted into his mouth.

No wonder Emil had been so drawn to that damn Prince when they first met. Something about these Southern Isle Princes were alluringly charming…

How sickeningly annoying.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The ways of life work in crazy, sneaky ways, especially when they begin to introduce you to new feelings you weren't quite ready to feel

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THIS IS REALLY FUCKING LONG.  
> AND I'M SO SORRY IF PARTS SEEM IRRELEVANT. I'm not taking this story too incredibly seriously, it's more so for my own amusement, I don't really edit much. Hahaha.  
> Ugh.

                Mathias was pleasantly surprised when dinner finally took place. Although the fresh seared fish was absolutely, mouth-wateringly delectable, that wasn’t what made him the happiest about this occasion.

“You guys have a really quaint little dining table! It’s so cute!” he cheered, drizzling a spoonful of sauce onto his fish.

Lukas stared at him, pausing with his fork and knife still positioned in his hands. His eyes narrowed, a quizzical, judgmental expression gracing his face.

Emil lifted a brow at their guest as well.

“What is that supposed to mean?” the Prince of Arendelle asked.

“Hm?” Mathias lifted his head, his mouth full of the fish he was currently chewing.

He quickly swallowed it and dabbed his mouth with the corner of his napkin. He smiled pleasantly before he took a sip of his wine to wash the rest down.

“Oh. I simply mean I’m used to dining with twelve other full-grown men. Back home we have this ridiculously long table”—Mathias spread his arms out—“that we all have to sit down at each night for dinner. It had to be built extra long so that we don’t end up slamming our arms into the person next to us when we try to retrieve helpings. We even have assigned seats from oldest to youngest so we don’t fight over where to sit. Trust me, it’s happened before. Your guys’ regular dining table is so adorable! It can comfortably fit six people with spared elbow room!”

Mathias hummed as he returned his attention to his dish. He chuckled when he glanced up at King Lukas. The poor man had the most befuddled and irritated look on his cute face.

“You are actually an idiot,” Lukas turned to his brother, “Emil, he’s actually a full blown idiot.”

“You’re the one who invited him to stay with us,” Emil reminded, “So it’s totally your fault.”

Lukas sighed and accepted that truth, taking a tiny bite of his own food. Yep. He has damned himself in this situation. As dinner progressed, Lukas couldn’t quite believe how childish this Prince seemed to truthfully be. After every few segments of intelligent, surprisingly enjoyable conversation, Mathias would make the stupidest inquiry about the most irrelevant of things.

He’d make a random comment on the shape or luster of the cutlery, and another time, he expressed frustration about one of his brothers. It was something that had apparently happened nearly five years ago that came out as a muttered, “You couldn’t have just fucking waited your turn could you, Darren. No you had to be there first.”

But despite some of the oddities that were Mathias’s speech patterns, King Lukas couldn’t help but be…fascinated by him. How could this oaf stay so energized? Where did all these dumb ideas come from? How could he talk so much about something so plain and forgettable?

The man could talk and talk forever it seemed, never growing tired of what he was saying. At first, Lukas was utterly annoyed and dissatisfied with the ability, wishing the fool would just shut up. But as time droned on, he began to acutely listen to every syllable that clicked off of Mathias’s tongue. There was something alluring about the man Lukas couldn’t quite pin down at the moment. There was something warm and comforting about the way Mathias expressed himself with his loud voice.

How could something so irritating be so enjoyable at the same time?

It confused Lukas quite a bit. It confused him so much, he decided to end it before it got any worse.

“Okay. You’re done talking,” he cut in sharply.

Mathias cocked his head, “Oh! I’m sorry! I was kinda rambling for a long time wasn’t I?”

“Indeed. Also, you should know, your voice is incredibly annoying.”

“I see!”

Emil groaned, his plate had been empty nearly fifteen minutes. He slouched in his chair and crossed his arms. He eyed Lukas, silently accusing him of wasting his time with this dumb Southern Isle Prince. Maybe he should occupy himself with something useful.

“Where’s Puffin, Lukas? I haven’t seen him all day…”

“I don’t know. He isn’t my responsibility.”

“Who’s Puffin?” Mathias questioned.

The youngest of the three waved his hand dismissingly.

“Oh, he’s just a magical snow bird Lukas made when he had his ice tantrum episode,” the white-haired teen explained dully.

“It wasn’t a tantrum…”

Lukas threw a scrunched up napkin at his brother. It was Mathias’s turn to be confused.

“A magical snow bird?”

“Yeah, I guess he can make living snow things. I don’t know how it works, all I know is that it does.”

Emil stood up, stretching.

“You know what? Let me just show you the damn thing.”

He cupped his hands around his mouth and whistled a few times.

“Puffin! Mr. Puffin!”

Within seconds, what looked like an albino puffin burst into the room, a trail of icy dust falling from its tail feathers. It had a little snow flurry hovering above it wherever it went with snowflakes fluttering down. It circled a few seconds, deciding on an appropriate landing spot, before settling down on Emil’s extended arm. It edged its way onto Emil’s shoulder before puffing out, its snowy body becoming puffier and puffier.

“This is Mr. Puffin,” Emil introduced proudly.

Mathias marveled, immediately jumping up and hopping to the other side of the table. He gawked as his finger petted the thing. His smile grew even bigger as Puffin leaned into his touch. The creature began to coo as Mathias scratched right under its icy beak. He laughed when he noticed the miniature bowtie that was nestled against its snowy feathers.

“He’s really made of snow!”

“Of course he is, you idiot. I have ice powers. What do you think it’d be made of, sand?”

Emil rolled his eyes at the both of them. Mathias continued to dote on the snow bird, transfixed with its body and liveliness.

“So why’d you build this handsome guy anyways, Lukas?”

The two brothers both smiled a small smile. Lukas tucked some hair behind his ear once again, a shy hum escaping his lips.

“We used to build Puffin as kids, and Emil would always pretend it was his pet bird for some reason. I tried to tell him to give it a name, like Olaf or something, but Emil was persistent on just calling it Mr. Puffin.”

The younger teen’s ears flared red in embarrassment.

“Mr. Puffin is a fine name! He doesn’t need to be named anything else,” Emil defended stubbornly.

Mr. Puffin nuzzled Emil gently, chirping quietly.

The Prince would never admit it, but when he first ran into Puffin with Kaoru in the frozen vastness of the mountains, his heart swelled with an almost forgotten emotion. A warmth surrounded his heart as Puffin had flitted down from the trees, nuzzling against Emil first thing. The Prince nearly started crying with shock when that warm feeling bombarded his body. After realizing exactly what Mr. Puffin had become, Emil had used all of his willpower from cuddling the snowy bird to death, wanting to soak up all of that old childhood happiness that had eluded him for so many years…

Lukas watched in contentment as Mr. Puffin cuddled up against his little brother.

“I think I’m going to go to bed,” Emil announced, beginning to walk towards the doors, “I have to get up early to meet Kaoru.”

He walked past Mathias without really a second glance, then past his brother, who gave him a silent nod of “goodnight”. The large doors creaked open before clicking shut.

“You know, those powers…they’re really incredible…” Mathias admired, turning back to Lukas, “You should really be proud of yourself. It’s so…mind blowing that you can create so many things with just…a wave of your hand and a thought in your mind. You really are blessed with such an amazing gift. I don’t think anyone else in the world should have that gift besides you.”

The King jumped, a little fluffed up by the compliment. No one had really called his powers a gift before. No one had romanticized his powers as something extraordinary and awesome. Mathias telling him his powers were so wonderful provoked a strange feeling in his stomach that swirled around, causing Lukas to avert his gaze in slight embarrassment.

“Oh… _Takk_.”

“You know, my brother told us about that huge ice palace you made.”

“Did he now?”

Mathias nodded, “Indeed. He did. He said it was one of the grandest monuments he’d ever seen. Tall and magnificent, strong and beautiful. He admitted to being a bit frightened by it. I guess seeing a huge tower of ice is intimidating. And there was apparently a huge, monstrous snow guard you made too?”

Lukas smirked at Mathias’s excited expression, waving his hand a bit as a small snowflake quickly grew to be the size of the dinner plates they had just eaten from. He played with it, allowing it to bounce around the room a bit before bursting into a cloud of snowy glitter in his guest’s face. Mathias sputtered, swatting away at the icy crystals.

“Mathias, if I can create an eternal winter, a living snow puffin, and an ice palace larger than this castle right here, what’s stopping me from creating a huge snow monster, too?”

Mathias shrugged, his grin still plastered onto his face. Does that man ever not smile? Is that even a possible thing?

“Well it isn’t something people hear of everyday you know,” the taller one reminded, “Which makes me wonder… Can I see the palace?”

Lukas suddenly dropped his smirk, his confidence falling back into an introverted cradle.

“Wh…why would you want to see that? Didn’t you say you wanted to see Arendelle?”

“Well sure, but being able to see your castle would be pretty great, too!”

The Ice King hesitated before responding. He instinctively pulled his hands close to his chest.

“You don’t need to see it. Besides, it’s far away in the mountains. It would take us nearly a day to get there.”

“Oh come on! I can’t just hear about how crazy amazing it is and _not_ get a peek at it while I’m here! You don’t have to come with me, you can just give me a map! Heck, I’d go on foot.”

“No! I don’t want you to,” Lukas scolded persistently, his finger poking out accusingly, “it’s my castle…and I can tell you if I don’t want someone to see it!”

The spikey haired blonde put up his hands in defense. He watched Lukas who ran his fingers through his hair, his eyes averted downwards. The King stuttered a sigh, falling back into his chair. Mathias pulled his own chair and leaned in a bit, placing a hand on his shoulder.

“Okay. Okay. Sorry for asking. I didn’t think it was that big of a deal.”

“Well maybe it is. I know for damn sure it isn’t your business,” Lukas retorted icily.

Mathias withdrew his hand and cleared his throat.

“I see…”

An awkward, silent pause dragged out, neither man moving a muscle. The king had his head resting in the palm of his hands, eyes closed shut, brows creased as they furrowed together. Finally, Lukas sniffed a bit, shaking his head. He sat up straighter, looking at Mathias. His beautiful, misty eyes seemed to have grown bags under them in the last few minutes.

He seemed extraordinarily tired.

“Tomorrow morning. We can leave to go there tomorrow morning,” he instructed clearly, standing up.

The Prince blinked in surprise, “But you just said—.”

He watched silently as Lukas gave him one last glance before turning around to dismiss himself. The King quickly closed the large oak doors behind him. Mathias stared quizzically at the door, propping himself with his arm.

“Well. Tomorrow morning it is then.”

* * *

 

They were sent off with their horses before daybreak. Mathias was elated when he learned Mr. Puffin was coming along to visit the large snow ogre that resided in the castle.

The Prince had been stripped of his royal attire and was shoved into more winter-appropriate clothes. The thick, furry layers of clothing completely changed Mathias’s original look. He looked rough and sturdy, rugged and raw. Lukas had actually taken a moment to eye his companion up and down. He liked that mountain-man look on him. Yeah…he could appreciate that.

In his own private opinion, Lukas barely admitted to himself that the Prince just genuinely looked damn good no matter what he wore.

They rode their horses up the mountains, Mr. Puffin hovering around them. The first two hours were actually surprisingly silent.

Lukas would glance back at Mathias periodically, secretly, just to see if the idiot was still there. Sure enough, he was right behind him, only his eyes were trained on their surroundings. His mouth seemed to hang open slightly as his sparkling blue eyes wandered hungrily around the forests. It’s like the man had never seen mountains before.

When the sun had begun to rise, the two stopped to stare at it in marvel. From afar, you could see Arendelle was shrouded in a warm peachy glow, the fjord sparkling, greeting the waking sun. The fresh snow was tinted a light pink, the only disturbance in the snow was the gouges their horse’s hooves had made.

“We don’t get a view like this at home,” Mathias commented, of course being the first one to speak, “There aren’t mountains really. All we basically have is the ocean. …A lot of it. Maybe a few fjords but not too many.”

He made himself chuckle a bit, watching Lukas. He seemed deep in thought, a distant look of concentration veiling his face.

“You know I spent most of my life in the castle, right? I hardly left my room. Let alone Arendelle. The first time I had ever gone to the mountains was when I ran away,” Lukas related.

He looked upwards as Puffin roosted on his head.

“I’m sure it must have been very exciting.”

“Hardly. It was absolutely horrifying at first, but then…” he trailed off, suddenly pulling at the reins, “come on. We still have a ways to go.”

* * *

 

The way up to the castle was really a tiny adventure. Mathias’s energy level rose as the day progressed, his hyper activeness returning.

He stayed right next to Lukas, their horses nearly inches apart. They could have held hands if they wanted to.

The two began to exchange stories about their childhoods, with no surprise, discovering that their childhoods drastically contrasted one another’s. Lukas of course had grown up in a quiet, isolated, hush-hush type of environment. While Mathias was exposed to thundering loudness and a competitive drive for attention.

The Prince illustrated adventurous tales, mischievous rendezvous behind his parent’s backs and aggressive fights against siblings that he could barely count himself.

Lukas’s stories were much more muted and eventless, but mystical and thought provoking. He cautiously explained the struggles of trying to control his powers all his life, trying to conceal them as if they weren’t there at all.

“The fear…that’s what ate at me the most. The fear of losing the little control I had, losing myself in my own battle, and most of all…losing Emil. I was so scared for so long,” he chuckled, shrugging a bit, “it was never even a possibility for me to think to accept and embrace my powers for what they truly were.”

“Do you hold resentment…or anger towards your parents? For telling you to keep your powers hidden?” Mathias probed carefully, trying not to step out of boundaries.

“I don’t know. I know they were just trying to protect me…but their fear of my powers essentially cost me and Emil a lot of happiness for a long part of our lives. If they had just let it be…then maybe things would have ended much differently.”

Mathias let that sink in for a moment, watching their snowy path ahead. Lukas rode closer to Mathias unknowingly, their horses then briefly bumping against each other.

“I’m happy for you. It takes a lot of courage to accept and love a part of yourself you learn not to like.”

Lukas snapped his head in Mathias’s direction, eyes slightly widening. His stare was innocent and even a bit mystified. Mathias really was just a bundle of abstract surprises wasn’t he?

* * *

 

A few more leisurely hours passed before they were high above the world. All you could see were mountains and clouds. Large trees were hunched over due to the weight of the snow, making them look like ancient sleeping wizards.

Lukas nudged Mathias silently as they approached North Mountain. Eagerly, Mathias craned his neck as they drew in closer.

A colossal castle, shimmering in the light began to peek over the rocky cliffs. The structure was absolutely massive, towering over the land. It was nestled perfectly in the side of the mountain, almost looking like a jewel on a crown. It was in the shape of a large crystal, the walls smooth and almost metallic looking. The solid ice it was made of acted as a prism to the light that passed through it, throwing a multitude of pinks, purples and blues across any surface it touched.

They slowly rode up to it, Mathias’s jaw hanging ajar. Lukas smiled to himself, still oh so proud of this place he called a second home.

“Here.”

Lukas mounted off his horse, flicking his hand to build a large pole to tie their horses to. He led Mathias’s horse to the pole and tied it tight. Mr. Puffin circled around them, already flying up to the balcony that hovered above.

“Come on, let’s go inside.”

Mathias hurriedly hopped off his horse, tumbling a bit to catch up to the King who was already half way up the elegant flight of stairs. His long tailcoat cascaded up the staircase, making Lukas look as graceful as falling snow. In all honesty, Lukas looked absolutely perfect against his large castle. He almost looked out of place in Arendelle compared to when he was up here. The Prince quickly learned it was hard to gawk at such a beautiful sight and walk straight at the same time…

Lukas turned around to see Mathias stumble up the steps.

“What an annoying idiot. I hope you fall off the cliff.”

When the pair reached the grand entrance, Lukas extended his arms and slowly spread them apart, the doors opening on his command. The sound of ice grinding against ice echoed through the large empty chamber.

Mathias followed Lukas inside.

He looked up immediately. The ceiling was incredibly high, that he wasn’t exactly sure if he was truly seeing the top. There were magnificent pillars supporting the room, each one etched with identical designs that decorated the entire castle. A frozen fountain gleamed in the center, little bits of ice crystals suspended in midair. The artistic arches and curves of the building made Mathias feel like he was in a dream of sorts, and that this place wasn’t even supposed to be real.

Overall, the lighting was surprisingly blue, making everything seem as if time had stopped. Lukas suddenly was smiling, which completely caught the other off guard. He grabbed Mathias’s hands and began to pull him up the curving staircase. Lukas and Mathias’s footsteps echoed three times over it was so silent.

“Hurry, idiot, you need to meet him.”

They jogged up the staircase into another spacious room with a gargantuan snowflake embedded in the floor. It twinkled like a massive star, winking out bits of pinks here and there. Above them hung an elaborate chandelier, triangles and spears jutting out of the base. Mathias could barely breathe. Mr. Puffin had settled down on a huge boulder of snow resting in the corner.

“I had to fix everything after your brother practically ruined my castle,” Lukas huffed irritably, “He broke my staircase, crashed my chandelier and I had to destroy my balcony because some idiot tried to spear me with a crossbow. It was absolutely a mess.”

Lukas excitedly moved over to the large mound of snow, “And I had to resurrect this poor guy after he shoved him off the cliff…”

Mathias followed with a bit of distance, mumbling sounds of disbelief, still trying to comprehend the grandness of Lukas’s ice palace. The King tenderly patted the large boulder, Puffin pecking at it impatiently. Suddenly it began to tremble, and Lukas began to smile again. The large boulder began to stand, growing quite a few feet in height. Arms unwound themselves and two iced feet shook the ground. Mathias gasped as he looked up at two hollowed eyes staring down at them.

“This is Marshmallow, the protector of my castle,” the King quipped, his arms crossed as he showed off his quite impressive guard.

The Prince was speechless. He gazed up at Marshmallow who yawned, frost smoking from his mouth. Lukas looked up as his snowy friend, patting his leg.

“This is an idiot named Mathias. He’s the brother of the guy who threw you off a cliff,” Lukas introduced casually.

Marshmallow grunted, clomping forward closer to Mathias. He squatted down, now only inches away from Mathias’s face. The guard inhaled deeply before violently projecting a heap of sleet and snow against him, wind causing the poor man to tumble over.

“ _Waaaugh!_ ”

Marshmallow didn’t yield until Mathias was reduced to a huge snow pile, a few limbs poking out. Marshmallow nodded in satisfaction, turning back around to promptly sit back down in his corner.

Lukas actually allowed a laugh to escape his mouth, quickly recovering by coughing into his fist.

“That was revenge against your brother. Since your brother isn’t here, he had to take out his anger on someone,” the King smirked, walking over to the pile.

He sat down atop it, waiting for Mathias’s head to pop out. Soon enough, blonde spikey hair rustled its way through. Mathias spit out some snow and lightly glared at Lukas.

He readjusted himself and pulled his arms free of the confines of his small snowy prison. He carefully balled up a mass of snow and tossed it at the back of Lukas’s head.

The King gasped, hopping up, “Oh you did _not_ just threaten me with a snowball, Mathias!”

Mathias stood up, forming another.

“Oh yes I did.”

“You’re going to regret that.”

Lukas waved his arms, a multitude of snow balls forming around him. He spun around and thrust his arms forward, the snowballs mercilessly pelting the Prince. Mathias yelped, dodging a few, but ultimately falling backwards to the onslaught of snow. He laughed as Lukas continued his abuse.

The King quickly built himself a snow barricade, Mathias somehow recovering quick enough to whack him in the face with a surprisingly well made snowball.

“Oh come on, Lukas! That’s cheating!”

“What! How the hell is this cheating?”

Mathias laughed as he tossed a snowball over the barricade, Lukas gasping as it burst on the crown of his head.

“You have snow powers! That’s like an automatic win!”

The Prince dove behind a pillar of ice as a large snowball just barely missed his chest. It spattered against the wall behind him. Lukas’s purple eyes peeked over the top of his barricade, glaring at Mathias’s own half-hidden face.

“You annoying dumbass! You’re the one who started this dumb fight in the first place! I have every right to use my powers.”

The less talented of the two had tried to start a small stockpile of snowballs, keeping himself hidden behind the pillar. At some point or another, a small snowstorm had whisked its way into the room, swirling around them. Mathias let out a battle cry before running at full speed with an armful of snowballs. The poor fool didn’t get very far, seeing as Lukas popped up and threw up his hands, a sudden wall of snow curving upwards only to crash onto Mathias. Lukas laughed.

Mathias cried out as he was once again buried in snow.

The King scurried out from behind his barricade to dig out the Prince, not expecting at all to be tackled backwards into a plush pile of snow.

Mathias was covered in snow, his wild hair even messier now that snow had taken over it. He practically lay on top of Lukas, holding himself up with his elbow. Their faces were close enough to feel each other’s warmth. Lukas was gazing up at him, eyes curious, darting around Mathias’s face. His hair was splayed against the snow, practically blending in with the stuff.

They both were catching their breaths, cheeks and noses red from the cold.

“I…I haven’t had a snowball fight since I was a kid…” Lukas sighed dreamily.

Mathias chuckled and smiled down at Lukas, who had one of the most angelic expressions he had ever managed. The pair didn’t move hardly at all, being perfectly comfortable nestled against each other in the snow. That is, until they realized exactly what position they were actually in. They both scrambled to get up, brushing themselves off, a raging blush rising up both their necks.

That little mishap though didn’t stop Mathias from smirking at Lukas periodically, who in turn swiftly averted his gaze to hide an uncontrollable smile that spread on his thin lips.

It seemed now Lukas had an entire new feeling to be afraid of, something he hadn’t ever experienced before. Something warm and fuzzy, something that presented completeness, something that made him happy in a way he didn’t know was possible.


End file.
